DUE WEST, SC - The men's volleyball team played the final game of their 2021 regular season on Tuesday night. The Lions swept the Erskine College Flying Fleet, winning in three sets, 3-0. The win moves Emmanuel's record to 9-12 overall and 6-8 in conference. The win gives the Lions home court advantage in round 1 of the conference playoffs. They'll host Erskine on Thursday, April 8 at 7:00pm to begin postseason play. 

The first set went back and forth until the Lions led by three, 12-9. A five point run for the Fleet gave them a two point advantage, 14-12. The set proceeded to go back and forth until the score was tied at 17. An error from Erskine was followed by a kill from setter Henrik Westhoff. Jayden Young then recorded back to back aces, giving Emmanuel a four point lead, 21-17. After another kill and an ace from Westhoff, the set was finished with a kill by sophomore Harrison Coehlo as the Lions took it, 25-21. 

The second set was a seesaw of point exchanges until the score was tied at 19. Errors from both teams tied the score at 21 before senior Aleksa Lakic recorded a kill that  gave Emmanuel a one point lead, 22-21. A kill for Erskine got them to 22, but a three point run for the Lions was capped off with a kill from senior Don Thompson as the Lions took the set, 25-22. 

The Fleet led 11-9 in the third set. However, a 12-3 run gave the Lions the lead, 21-14. The dominate stretch featured three points from Lakic, who had two kills and an ace in the midst of the run. Additional kills from Thompson and Young contributed to the eight point lead taken by Emmanuel. The Fleet were unable to mount a comeback before a kill for Westhoff gave the Lions the set, 25-18, and the game, 3-0. 

The Lions were led by Aleksa Lakic, who recorded 14 kills, 5 digs, 2 service aces, and a hitting percentage of .393. Jayden Young finished with 7 kills and hit .600 while also recording 3 service aces. Freshman Carlos Guerrero and Don Thompson each finished with 6 kills, hitting .455 and .100, respectively. Additionally, setter Henrik Westhoff had 31 assists and 3 kills along with an ace. 

Next up, men's volleyball will host Erskine College on Thursday, April 8 in round 1 of the conference playoffs. 

For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.